The Sun As You've Never Seen It Before!

This video is pretty darn amazing.  I love science, the planets, and Star Trek!!!  LOL.  Seriously though, NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory put this together and it's absolutely stunning.

About the video - "This extraordinary video looks back on the 3rd year of operation of NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory. Since its launch in 2010, SDO's data and imagery have exceeded everyone's hopes and expectations, providing stunningly detailed views of the sun. The observatory has continued to return breathtaking pictures and movies of eruptive events on the sun. These images are more than just pretty. By highlighting different wavelengths of light, scientists can track how material on the sun moves. Such movement, in turn, holds clues as to what causes these giant explosions."

Your Weight In Outer Space

So here's a little something...

If you ever wanted to weigh less than what you weigh here on earth; Let's say 160 lbs. for example.  You may want to go to Mars where your weight would hover around 62 lbs..  Better yet, go to the Moon - you'll weigh 26, but whatever you do - don't go to Jupiter, you'll weigh a whopping 424 lbs.

Check out this chart provided by houseofhands, and find out how much you would weigh?

 

Things We Can Do To Save The Environment - Issue No. 02: Green House Effect

The Green House Effect is the second step in my new weekly blog, "Things We Can Do To Save The Environment".   

 

Giving credit to TIME,  I'd like to thank them for showing us the many ways we can meet these goals of saving our environment.  And yes, even one person can make a difference.

 

The Global Warming Survival Guide

2. Get Blueprints For a Green House

Reducing your impact on the earth is not just a question of what you drive but also of what you live in. Residential energy use accounts for 16% of greenhouse-gas emissions. If you begin thinking green at the blueprint stage, however, low-tech, pragmatic techniques will maximize your new home's efficiency. Installing those systems from the ground up is cheaper than retrofitting. 

"Doing simple things could drastically reduce your energy costs, by 40%," says Oru Bose, a sustainable-design architect in Santa Fe, N.M. For example, control heat, air and moisture leakage by sealing windows and doors. Insulate the garage, attic and basement with natural, nontoxic materials like reclaimed blue jeans. Protect windows from sunrays with large overhangs and double-pane glass. 

Emphasize natural cross ventilation. "You don't need to have 24th century solutions to solve 18th century problems," Bose says. Next, consider renewable energy sources like solar electric systems, compact wind turbines and geothermal heat pumps to help power your home. 

When you're ready to get creative, GreenHomeGuide.com will help you find bamboo flooring, cork tiles, and countertops made from recycled wastepaper. 

Make sure to follow this blog every Tuesday for a new issue of Things We Can Do To Save The Environment.  Each issue is thought-provoking, informative and may hold the key to saving your children and grandchildren's future

Alien Worlds

According to Space.com, astronomers have discovered more than 700 alien planets beyond the solar system, and the count is rising all the time. Some are large and hot, and others are smaller and cooler, but scientists are still on the lookout for an Earth twin.

They just got closer, with the announcement Dec. 5 of a planet found by NASA's Kepler space telescope to lie in the habitable zone around its star where liquid water, and perhaps life, could exist.

click on picture to visit space.com